Independent wheel suspension for vehicles



Original Filed April 3, 1933' 2 Sheets-Sheet l 'zin: 0 f d awn/Tom F. 4 BY 1 2. A T TORNE Y T. c. PEARSE EI'AL V 2,026,057

I 1935. T. c. PEAR SE AL 7 2,026,057

INDEPENDENT WHEEL SUSPENSION FOR VEHICLES Original Filed April 3, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 T C INVIENTORS,

M 1M M B Y x QM MM zM 72 A TTORNEY Patented Dec. S1, 1935 INDEPENDENT WHEEL SUSPENSION FOB,

- VEHICLES Thomas C. Pearse and Thoma s H. Bonser, Dayton, Ohio, assignors of one-third to Charles M.

Kelso, Dayton, Ohio Application April 3, 1933, Serial No. 664,049

Renewed June 7, 1935 6 Claims.

w and useful imendent wheel suspensions This invention relates to ne provements in inde for vehicles.

, It is one of the principal objects of our invention to provide for vehicles a shock absorbing unit in which all action and reaction takes place in lines substantially parallel to the frame.

It is another object of the invention to provide an independent wheel suspension for vehicles, in which a wheel is mounted upon a stub axle attached to an arm that is free to move about a pivot solidly attached to the vehicle frame. The weight of the vehicle and the shocks incident to the movement of the wheel, are car'- ried and absorbed by a compression or extension shock strut so or downward movement of the wheel takes place, the total length of changed or varied to absorb the shock.

vide means for applying our shock-absorbing unit to the front wheels of a vehicle in such a manner that the king pin will not move up and down. Instead, the wheel mounting and shockabsorbing mechanism will plane about a king pin which remains directly attached toan extension of the frame.

It is another object of our invention to provide compressible pads for taking up theshock 0 in one form of embodiment of our shock-absorbing unit.

Another object of our invention is to include in the suspension and shock-absorbing units, when desired, a counter-balancing weight to 5 soften the shocks to which the wheel is incident.

- If the counterbalancing weight is flexibly secured to the wheel-carrying arm, the efiect oi the inertia, when such inertia eifect exceeds the mass-times-gravity effect of the counterbalanc- 4 ing weight, is reduced when the wheel is subjected to a shock, for the weight, when not solidly connected to the arm, does not immediately follow the rotation of the armwhen that shock occurs. g

In the accompanying drawings Figure .1 is a side view of a rear vehicle wheel to which one form of embodiment of our improved shock-absorbing device is applied. Figure 2 is a top plan view of the same. Figure 3 is a side view of a rear vehicle wheel to which a resilient pad form of shock-absorbing device is applied. Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through the shock strut employed in the shock absorbers illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. Figure 5 isa plan view of another form of embodiment of placed that when an upward the shock strut will be It is another object of the invention to prorotate in a horizontal our-shock absorber applied to a front vehicle wheel. Figure 6 is a plan view thereof. And" Figure 7 is a side view of another form of embodiment of our shock absorber, showing a counterbalance weight therefor.

Referring to theaccompanying drawings for a detailed description of our invention, the numeral I designates the frame of a vehicle such. as an automobile, and the numeral 2 a wheel therefor. This wheel has a'stub axle 3, brake drum 4, and a brake backing plate 5, which is secured to the stub axle. Attached to this plate is the inner end of an arm 6 which is secured at its free end by an elongated 'pivot member '1' to'the frame. 15 Also, pivotally attached to thefra'me a short distance above the pivot I, or below the latter, if desired, is the outer ring end 8 of a plunger rod 9. At its inner end this rod is secured to a plunger I 0 within the cylinder ll of a shock 20 strut, the latter being closed at its plunger end by a stufing box l2 and at its opposite end by a head l3 formed with a hole M by which it is secured to the axle 3. Surroundingthe rod 9 within the cylinder II is a coil spring 16, while between the cylinder head l3 and the plunger Ill a coil spring I! is inserted. These springs absorb the shocks to which the wheel 2 is incident, through action and reaction in lines parallel or slightly oblique to "the wheel frame. Although 3 we have illustrated the form of shock strut just described, any other suitable type may be employed if desired. In Figure 3 we have shown another'form of embodiment of our invention.. In this instance the arm 6 terminates at its outer end in a substantially half round portion with straight radial ends 18 and I9 respectively. Securedto the frame I, below the outer end of the arm 6, by suitable fashioning elements, is a' substantially 40 three-quarters round, flanged plate 20 having a central radial projection 2|. Provided on the outer end of the arm 6 is a boss 22 formed with an opening to receive a pivot 23 that isfixed in the frame I. A bracing rib 24 projects from 41,. this boss to the middle portion of the arm.

Secured to the outer surface of the backing plate 20, one oneach side of the projection 2|, are two substantially triangular flexible pads 25 and 26 constructed of rubber, felt or other suit- 5 able material. When thewheel 2 is subjected to a road shock, it will be absorbed by the pad' which is compressed by the radial edge of the arm 6 that is moved against it. I

In Figures 5- and 6-we have shown a construc- 55 wheel in such a manner that the king pin will not move up and down. Instead, the wheel mounting and shock-absorbing mechanism will rotate in a horizontal plane about a king pin which remains directly attached to an extension of the frame. I

' In Figures and 6 the numeral 21 designates a vehicle wheel having a stub axle 23 to which a brake backing plate 23 is secured. Attached by bolts 33 to the-brake drum backing plate 23 is the inner end of an arm '3l. The outer end of this arm terminates in an enlarged hollow boss portion 32 toreceive a pivot stud 33 which passes throughv a hole in the outer end of an arm 34, which may be of lesection or any other suitable section. To the outer end of this stud, nuts 33 and 33 are applied. (See Figures 5 and 6).

The arm 34 is pivotally secured to a forwardly projecting portion 31 of the frame 33 by a king pin 33. The extension 31 of the frame 33 terminates in a forked part to receive the hub 40 of the arm 34. Through this hub 43 of the arm 34,

Y and the forked ends of the frame portion 33, the

king-pin 33 projects in order to permit' a free pivotal movement of the arm 34 to which the wheel-carryingarm 3| is pivotally secured. The

king pin 33 is threaded at its lower end to receive a nut 4|, and attached to the middle por-' tion of the arm '34 is one end of a conventional tie rod 42. (See Figures 5 and 6).

The stub axle 23 projects beyond the inner end of the arm 3| through a hole formed in the head end 43 of a shock strut cylinder 44 similar to the cylinder. ll'. secured to a stud 43 that is secured to the outer end of the arm 34 above or below the stud 33. (See Figure 6).

The shock strut 44 will therefore receive the shocks to which the wheel 21 is incident, while permittingsaid wheel a free horizontal swinging movement about the king pin 33, without the likelihood of it moving up and down. The operation of the shock absorber itself is the same as the shock absorber provided for the rear wheel in Figure 1, except that our king pin structure permits a free horizontal movement of the wheel secured to the arm 3|.

In Figure 7 we have illustrated another form of embodiment of our shock-absorbing invention.

Here the arm, 41 secured to the vehicle wheel, is pivotally secured by a stud 43 to the frame 43.

The arm 41 has a downwardly extending part 43' to make it a bellcrank lever that is free to move about the stud 43. To the end 43 of this bellcrank lever there is attached a plunger 30- which is operative in a shock strut structure 3| attached at its outer end to a triangular re-inforced plate 52 that is riveted, or otherwise suitably secured, to the frame '43. In this construction all action and re-action of the-independently-supported wheel 53 will take place in .lines I parallel to the frame 43. In other words, since the frame is strongest in its lengthwise direction, the shock-absorbing action will. be against the frame in the direction of itsmaximum strength to insure an extremely low unsprung weight, easier steering and much better road holding qualities. In conventional constructions the action and re-action are at right angles to the frame. In the unit illustrated in Figure! we have shown means for counterbalancing the unsprung weight represented .by the wheel, stub axle,

braking mechanism and the end of the arm which carries the vehicle wheel, said means ver arm about its pivot 43.

The outer end of the plunger 45 isadapted to be applied to the constructions illustrated in the other figures for the same purpose, if desired. .The arm 41 has an extension 34 formed with a longitudinal slot 53 through which a screw 33 passes lengthwise thereof. The inner 5 end of this screw enters a tapped hole in'the arm extension 54 at the inner end-of the slot, and on its outer portion the screw is prdvided with a butterfly head 33' for'the convenient adjustment of it.

Mounted on the screw 33 within the slot 33, for a slidable movement longitudinally through the latter, is a counterbalance such as the cylindrical weight 51. The arm extension 34 carrying the longitudinally adjustable weight 31, 15 counterbalances the unsprung weight represented a by thewheel, stub axle, braking'mech'anism and the end oil the arm which carries the wheel.

In Figure 7 we have shown elongated springs 38, 33 secured within the counterbalancing 20 weight 31, or to it in any other suitable manner.

These springs have rounded prong ends beyond the weight to engage the sides of the slot 33.

,By securing the weight 31 flexibly to the arm extension 34 by the springs 58, 53 or other suitable as v 30 The counterbalancing weight softens the I effects of the shocks to which the wheel is incident, when the'inertia effect of the counterbalancing weight is less than its mass-timesgravity effect. when its inertia effect is greater 55 than its mass-times-gravity eifect, the. resilient or other formof mounting employed substantially eliminates or softensthe inertia eflect of the counterbalance weight.

Having described our invention, we claim:

1. The combination with a vehicle frame, a road wheel, an arm secured at one end to said road wheel, a second arm, a king pin for pivotally securing,0ne end of the second arm to said frame, elongated pivotal means for securing the 45 I free end of the first arm to the free end of the second arm, a shock strut between said arms, one end of said shock strut being pivotally secured to the free end of, the second arm,

and the other end of said shock strut being 30 pivotally secured to the wheel and of the first arm. v 2. The combination with a vehicle frame, a road wheel, an arm secured at one end to said road wheel, a secondarm substantially parallel on with the first arm, means for pivotally securing one end of the second arm to the frame, pivotal means for securing the free end of the first arm to the free end of the second arm, and resilient means secured between the free end 30 of the second arm and the wheel end of the first arm.

3.'The combination with a vehicle frame, a road wheel, an arm secured at one end to said road wheel, a second arm, means for pivo'tally 55 securing the second arm tosaid' frame, pivotal means for securing the free end of the first arm to the free end of the second arm, and forming with said arms three sides of a parallelogram, and yielding means secured between the free end of the second arm and the wheel end of the first arme 4. The combination with a vehicle frame, a

road wheel, 'an arm secured at one end to said securing the second arm to said frame, pivotal means for securing the free end of the first arm to the free end of the second arm, and forming with said arms, three sides of a parallelogram,

and a shock strut connected at one end to the free end of the second arm and at its other end to the wheel end of the first arm, and projecting between the horizontal planes of both arms.

5. The combination with a vehicle frame, a road wheel, an arm secured at one end to said road wheel, a second arm, means for pivotally securing the second arm to said frame, pivotal means for securing the free end of the first arm to the free endof the second arm, and forming with said arms, three sides of a parallelogram, and a shock strut connected at one end to the free end or the second arm, and at its other end to the wheel end of the first arm, at points to'form a diagonal of said; parallelogram.

' 4 6. The combination with avehiole frame, a

road wheel, an arm secured atone end to said road wheel, a second arm, means for pivotally securing one end of the second arm to the frame, pivotal means for securing the free end of the first arm to the free end of the second arm,

and a shock strut between said arms, one end 10 of said: shock strut being pivotally secured to the free end of the second arm, and the other end of said shock strut being pivotally secured to the wheel end of the first arm.

THOMAS C. PEARSE. THOMAS H. BONSER. 

